Number of the Day: $78.4 million

Last Friday, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced awards of $78.4 million to 376 municipalities to pay for street improvements and safety projects.

Most of that money — $76.1 million — was provided through a municipal aid program for which funding is based on population, mileage, and other factors. Municipalities compete for a share of the money allotted by county. Grants range from $27,000 to Mantoloking in Ocean County to $1.36 million to Newark. The program helps support the state’s roadways, 74 percent of which are maintained by municipalities. Ten communities got Local Aid Infrastructure grants, meant to address emergency and regional needs, and three received money to boost the safety and accessibility of mass transit facilities.